About

Dalton has actively embraced an innovative and progressive tradition for approximately 100 years. Read an introduction from Head of School Ellen C. Stein; learn about Dalton's history and founder Helen Parkhurst's Education on the Dalton Plan; view Dalton's mission and values, including the School's intentional commitment to establish equity and diversity, and review Dalton's most recent Strategic Plan.

Programs

Dalton offers its 1,300 students a wide array of stimulating and challenging programs taught by passionate and dedicated faculty. Outstanding academic offerings are complemented by exemplary performing and fine arts curricula – taught by faculty who are professionals in their fields – and a full range of athletic teams and extracurricular activities.

Our Community

Dalton takes great pride in the strength of its engaged and collaborative community. Students , faculty, staff, parents and alumni work together to advance mission, celebrate tradition and enhance school culture. Students and teachers serve on the Board, along with trustees and administrators.

Admissions

At Dalton, the primary focus is to nurture children's natural inquisitiveness, develop self-confidence in their intelligence and ability to succeed, and teach them to be responsible and independent learners and thinkers.

News & Calendar

Dalton regularly posts its good news, events and more for applicant families, alumni and other interested parties. Dalton regularly features news stories, photos, video and announcements about our students' achievements and other products of our progressive mission.

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Department

Archaeology

The Archaeology Program is designed to introduce students to the study of the discipline by having students participate in the excavation of a simulated archaeological site. While “on site” the students familiarize themselves with archaeological techniques for the mapping, recovery, and recording of all artifacts exposed in the course of excavation. All artifacts recovered are returned to the “lab” (the classroom), where they are measured, weighed, and analyzed to determine form, function and date of deposit. Periodically, colloquia are held during their excavation in which students discuss the significance of their findings. Our objective is to develop both the students’ analytical and inferential skills, in particular, to provide the student with experience in carrying out independent and directed research, hypothesis formulation and testing, data collection, etc. In order to support their research efforts, the children have access to a digital database of art images, created specifically for each House to help the students re-create a context for the kinds of artifacts they uncover: for instance, 17th century Dutch paintings for finds from a New Amsterdam site; Medieval panel paintings for finds from a simulated site in Venice during the time of Marco Polo; Islamic manuscript paintings for a Timurid site along the Silk Road. This enables the children to use images as historical tools to address complicated issues of commercial exchange and social and cultural identity.Learn more about Archaeology